Flowers for Algernon

[lasith]

When I saw your eyes Love, I thought I was in a dream, hypnotized and lost in them; I still wander in wonder...



The novel opens with an epigraph discouraging people from laughing at those who are perplexed or weak of vision. The epigraph is taken from Plato's The Republic, part of which reads:
“ Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye. ”
Charlie Gordon has an IQ of 68 and works a menial job which his uncle had secured for him 17 years previously so that Charlie would not have to be sent to an institution, the Warren State Home. Wanting to improve himself, Charlie attends reading and writing classes at the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults; his instructor is Alice Kinnian, a young, attractive woman. Professor Nemur and Doctor Strauss, two Beekman researchers, are looking for a human subject on whom they can test an experimental surgical technique for increasing intelligence. They have already performed the surgery on a mouse named Algernon, leading to a dramatic improvement in his mental performance. Based on Alice's recommendation and his own motivation to learn, Charlie is picked to undergo the surgery.

The procedure is a success and, three months later, Charlie's IQ has reached 185. However, as his intelligence, education and understanding of the world around him increases, his relationships with people deteriorate. His coworkers at his job, who used to amuse themselves at his expense, are now scared and resentful of his increased intelligence and he is fired as a result. Charlie also embarks on a troubled romance with Alice; even though they develop strong feelings for each other, he is prevented from having a physical relationship by the spectre of a younger Charlie whom the older Charlie feels is always watching. Unable to get close to Alice, Charlie starts a purely sexual relationship with Fay Lillman, a vivacious and promiscuous artist.

Charlie discovers a flaw in the theories that led Nemur and Strauss to develop their intelligence-enhancing procedure. Shortly thereafter, Algernon starts behaving erratically, loses his new intelligence, and dies. As Charlie does further research, he determines that he too will inevitably revert to his old condition. He tries to mend the broken relationships with his parents, without success. His mother, who always insisted he could learn normally, now suffers from dementia and does not recognize him. Charlie's father, who had broken off contact with the family many years previously, also does not recognize him and Charlie cannot bring himself to reveal his identity. Charlie is only able to reconnect with his sister, who hated him for his mental disability when they were growing up and is now caring for their mother.

As Charlie regresses intellectually, Fay becomes scared by the change and stops talking to him. However, Charlie finally attains sufficient emotional maturity to have a brief but fulfilling relationship with Alice. Despite regressing back to his former self, he still remembers that he was once a genius and cannot bear everyone feeling sorry for him. Consequently, he decides to go to live at the Warren State Home where nobody knows about the operation. In a final postscript to his writings, he asks that someone put flowers on Algernon's grave.

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Here is something I discovered while trying to sleep....You know that pine cone thing?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland   I learnt a most interesting thing while trying to sleep my dear friend...To sleep we open this gland!  It is the gland that helps us sleep!  It is photo sensitive!  It causes our dreams!  We close our eyes and try to start the production of the chemicals formed by this gland in order to sleep!  The animals use this gland and it's chemicals in order to know which way is south, where to mate, it is a instinctual gland!  It grows early in life and then stops growing...Animals have a larger gland because of this dependance on instinct.  We as humans no longer use this gland as much because of our mental evolution, however it MAY actually assist in unlocking instictual knowledge passed on by our ancestors!  Mutherfucker this is deep crazy shit...LOL, It answers the question how do ducks know which way is south!

Melatonin
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Not to be confused with melanin or melanotan.


Melatonin Systematic (IUPAC) name N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]
ethanamide Identifiers CAS number 73-31-4 ATC code N05CH01 PubChem 896 DrugBank APRD00742 ChemSpider 872 Chemical data Formula C13H16N2O2  Mol. mass 232.278 g/mol Pharmacokinetic data Bioavailability 30 - 50% Metabolism Hepatic via CYP1A2 mediated 6-hydroxylation Half life 35 to 50 minutes Excretion Urine Therapeutic considerations Pregnancy cat.
?
Legal status
Prescription Only (S4)(AU) POM(UK)
Routes  ?
Melatonin (pronounced /ˌmɛləˈtoʊnɪn/ (
listen)), also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine,[1] is a naturally occurring hormone found in animals and in some other living organisms, including algae.[2] Circulating levels vary in a daily cycle, and melatonin is important in the regulation of the circadian rhythms of several biological functions.[3] Many biological effects of melatonin are produced through activation of melatonin receptors,[4] while others are due to its role as a pervasive and powerful antioxidant[5] with a particular role in the protection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.[6]

Products containing melatonin have been available as a dietary supplement in the United States since 1993.[7] Foods may contain trace amounts of melatonin, but no food has been found to elevate plasma melatonin levels.[8] Over-the-counter sales of the hormone remain illegal in many other countries, and the U.S. Postal Service lists melatonin among items prohibited by Germany.[9]

Jumper - Third Eye Blind

I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
The angry boy a bit too insane
Icing over a secret pain
You know you dont belong
Youre the first to fight
Youre way too loud
Youre the flash of light on a burial shroud
I know somethings wrong
Well everyone I know has got a reason
To say put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
Well hes on the table and hes gone to code
And I do not think anyone knows
What theyre doing here
And your friends have left you
Youve been dismissed
I never thought it would come to this
And i, I want you to know
Everyones got to face down the demons
Maybe today
You could put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
Understand
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Can you put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
And I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand